Collapsible hamper



June 25, 1957 B. BOERSMA ETAL 2,797,011

. COLLAPSIBLE HAMPER Filed Aug. 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l "mum if i Wm) 5/? June 25, 1957 BOERSMA ETAL COLLAPSIBLE HAMPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 9, 1955 United States Patent COLLAPSELE HAMPER Barney Boersma, Grand Rapids, and Charles R. Walbert, Marne, Mich., assignors to Sackner Products, Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application August 9, 1955, Serial No. 527,242

7 Claims. (Cl. 217-124) This invention relates to improvements in collapsible hamper.

The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a container of the domestic hamper type which can be manufactured and shipped in collapsed form to save shipping space and to be easily erected by the purchaser.

Second, to provide a hamper having an open mesh woven body that permits free air circulation through the hamper and which employs simulated reed fibers or strands of folded and twisted paper stock in the body of the hamper.

Third, to provide stiffening and connecting elements for a strip of woven reed-like material that permits the strip to be formed into a tube to receive stiffening and expanding elements and a cover to form the tube into a hamper, the expanding elements being removable to permit collapsing of the hamper.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and claims. The drawings, of which there are two sheets, illustrate a highly practical form of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the hamper with the cover partially broken away to illustrate the body of the hamper.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken along the plane of the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical cross sectional view through the cover hinge taken along the plane of the line 33 in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged rear elevational view of the cover hinge and the upper end of the hamper.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal cross sectional view through the joint between the ends of the hamper body strip taken along the plane of the line 55 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of the hamper in collapsed form. v

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the collapsed hamper shown in Fig. 6.

The main body portion of the hamper consists of a. strip of woven material having spaced horizontal cordlike elements '1 with vertically extending flat reed-like strips 2 woven therethrough. The cords and reeds may be formed of natural fibers but are preferably made up from twisted and rolled paper stock tosimulate natural cords and reeds. The cords 1 may be manufactured according to the teachings of the patent to J. E. Millett No. 2,097,299, issued October 26, 1927, and the reedlike strip may be manufactured according to the teachings of the patent to W. E. Sackner and J. E. Millett No. 2,219,115, issued October 22, 1940. Desirably. the reds and cords are individually covered with a protective and stiffening coating of flexible plastic material, but the space between the woven cords and strands is left open to permit air to circulate through the woven material.

The strip of woven material has its end edges 3 joined together by means of a connecting strip 4 to form a com tinuous tubular body 5. As best appears in Figs. 4 and 5 the connecting strip 4 consists of a strip of plastic 2 material having oppositely opening grooves in its side edges in which the end 3 of the woven material are retainingly received. The Woven material is conveniently bonded to the plastic connecting strip by adhesive or by bonding the plastic coating of the woven material to the plastic of the connecting strips by means of heat and pressure. The upper end of the tubular body 5 is received in a downwardly opening groove formed in an upper retaining band 6. The band 6 is of flexible plastic material and has annular internal and external grooves 7 which receive stitching 8 or other connecting means such as staples passed through the retaining band and the enclosed upper edge of the woven body. The lower end of the tubular body 5 is received in a similar lower retaining band 9 having an upwardly opening groove receiving the edge of the woven body. Similar stitching 10 connects the lower band to the woven body.

The bands 6 and 9 are made as continuous strips of molded or extruded plastic material and are relatively flexible transversely of the band, but are relatively stilf and inflexible to loads applied axially of the bands. The ends of the strip material forming the bands are connected by relatively rigid flat connecting plates 11 and 12 having a plurality of pointed lugs 13 struck from the plates and pressed through the adjacent ends of the bands to retain and connect the bands. The upper connecting plate 11 has upwardly and rearwardly inclined hinge ears 14 on its upper end and these hinge ears are formed into spaced knuckles 15 that coact with interlacing knuckles 16 on a hinge element 17 connected to the rear edge of a rigid cover 18. The hinge element 17 and hinge ears 14 are arranged as shown in Fig. 3 so that the cover will either seat on the upper edge of the upper retaining band 6 or swing rearwardly into lapping relation with the rear vertical wall of the hamper.

The lower retaining band 9 is provided with an internal or shoulder flange 19 that forms an upwardly facing seat for the rigid bottom panel 20. The upper retaining band 6 is provided with an internal annular groove 21 that removably receives a stiffening and shaping rod 22 of circular cross section. The rod is bent into a loop of the same shape or contour as the bottom panel 20.

After the body panel 5, retaining bands 6 and 9 and connecting strip 4 have all been joined with the connecting plates 11 and 12 and the hinged top 18, the tubular body 5 which is flexible may be collapsed flat as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 with the cover 18 swung to the outer side of the tubular body. The bottom panel 20 and expanding ring 22 are then conveniently stored within the collapsed body so that the hamper is easily packed in a thin flat carton indicated at 23 for shipment in a minimum of space. The purchaser of the hamper has only to spread out the tubular body 5 by inserting the bottom panel 20 into the body and on to the flange 19 and by snapping the expanding rod 22 into the groove 21 in the upper band 6. The cover 18 may then be swung on its hinge 14, 16 to seat on the upper band 6 and the hamper is erected and ready for use.

Having thus describedthe'invention, what is claimed as new and is desired to,be secured by Letters Patent is?- l. A collapsible hamper comprising a tubular body of woven horizontal cord-like strands and upright flattened strands, said strands being formed of twisted and'folded paper stock and having a protective and stiffening coating,

the ends'of saidwovejn material being received in. and joined by an uprightstrip of flexiblematerial havin woven material in the grooves, stilf metal connecting bands,,a rigid bottom panel removably;seated on saidfiangeandshaping the bottomof the hamper, an internalannular groove in theupperofsaid bands; a stiffening; ring removably received-in said groove and shapingthe top of the hamper, hingeears on the: top of:the upper connecting plate, and. a: rigid toppanel seating outlietop; bandand havinghinge elementshingedly connected tovthe upper'ends'of said ears. 1

2. A collapsible. hamp r comprising;acollapsible-wall unit including, a sheet ofwovenirelatively stizflitupright warp strands: and vertically spacedwoofstrands; a vertical coupling mem-bersfortthe ends'of the wall sheet in which the rends-of-the wall sheet are disposed and secured, said coupling, member constituting a hindinggfor the endsof the wallisheet, upper and lower bands of bendable material having grooves in whichthe upper: and lower edges of .the wvall sheet. are disposed and bendable therewith into flattened loops with their opposite side in lapped contact, stitches through said bands and the strands disposed in the grooves, thebands constituting a binding for the upper and lower edges of the wall=sheet, the ends of each band being fixedly connected to each other, the lower band having an inwardlyprojectingshoulder, the upper band having an inwardly facinggroovetherein, a bottom panel removably seated on said. shoulder of said'lower band and vacting to support the band in extended erected position, an annular member removably engaged with the inwardly facing groove of the upper band and acting to support it in erected position, and a cover hinged to and closable upon the upper band or swingable to col-. lapsed position at the side of the wall unit when his collapsed.

- 3. A collapsible hamper comprising a collapsible wall unit including a sheet of woven relatively stiff warp strands and woof strands, a vertical coupling member for the ends of the wall sheet having grooves in its edges in which the ends of the wall sheet aredisposed and,

secured, said coupling member constituting a binding for the ends of-the wall sheet, upper and lowerbands of bendable materialhaving grooves in which the upper and lower edges of the wall sheet are secured and bendable therewith into flattened loops with their opposite sides in lapped contact, the bands constitutinga binding for the upper and lower edges of, the wall sheet, the lower'band having, an inwardly projecting shoulder, the/upper band having an inwardly facing groove therein, a' bottom panel removably seated on said'shoulder of said lower band and acting to support the band in extended erected position, an annular member removably engaged with-the inwardly facing groove of the upper band and acting to support it in erected position, and a cover hinged to and closable upon the upper band orswingable to collapsed position: at'the sidezof thewall unit'when it is collapsed.

4. A collapsibleihamper comprising a collapsible-wall unit including a sheet of woven relatively stiff warp strands and woof strands, a vertical-coupling member for the ends of thewall sheet-to which the ends of the wall sheet are secured, said coupling member constituting a binding for the ends of the wall sheet, upper and lower bands of bendable material'having grooves in which the upper and lower edges of the wall sheet are secured, the bands constituting a binding for the upper and lower edges of the body sheet, the ends of the bands being fixedly connected, the lower band having an inwardly projecting-shoulder, the upper band having an inwardly 4., facing groove therein, a bottom panel removably seated on said shoulder of said lower band and acting to support the band in extended erected position, an annular member removably engaged with the inwardly facing groove of the upper band and acting to support it in erected position, and a cover hinged to and closable upon the upper band or swingable to collapsed position at the side of the wall unit when it is collapsed.

5. A collapsiblehamper comprising a tubular body of woven horizontal cord-like strands of twisted paper stock and upright flattened strands of folded paper stock, said body having a protective and stifiening coating of flexible material, an upright strip of plastic material having grooves in its side edges in which the ends of the woven material are retainingly received and constituting a binding therefor, upper and lower bands of bendable plastic material having grooves in their opposed edges receiving the upper and lower edges of the-' woven material and constituting bindings therefor, the lower band having an internal fiangespaced from its upper edge and the upper band an internal annular groove, astiifening ring removably engaged in said groove in said 'upper band and when engaged therein stiffening and supporting said upper band in extended position, and a bottom panel disposedwithin said lower band and seated upon said flange thereofand when so seatedacting to support'saidlowerbandin extendedposition.

6; A collapsible hamper comprising a collapsible body of woven horizontal and vertical strands, said'body having. a protective and stiffening coating of flexible mate rial, an uprightstrip having grooves in its sideedges in which the ends of'the woven material are retainingly received and constituting a binding therefor, upper and lower bands of bendable material having grooves in their opposed edges receiving the upper and lower edges of the woven material and constitutingbindings therefor, th'e'lower band'having an internal-flange spaced from its upper edge and the upper band an internal annular groove, a stifiening ring removably engaged in saidrial having grooves in their opposed edges receiving the upper and lower edges of thewoven'material and'constituting bindings therefor, the lower band having. an internal flange spaced from its upper'edge and they upper band an internal annular groove, a stilfening ring removably engaged in said groove in said upper band and when engaged therein stiffening and supporting said 'upper band in extended position, and a bottom panel disposed within said lower band and seated upon said flange thereof and when so-seated acting to support said lower'band in extended p osition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 497,306 Carlson May'16, 1893 1,441,579 Hatcher Jan. 9, 1923 2,536,590 Brandes Ian. 2, 1951 Belmont .Feb. 12,1952 

